WASHINGTON, DC - Kathleen Clarke, a Mormon and mother of four, was
confirmed as the director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on
December 20th. The agency oversees 700 million acres of sub-surface
mineral resources, a budget of about $1.8 billion and 9,000
employees. But it is a focal point for conflict. Already
environmentalists and multiple-use advocates are anticipating
Clarke's decisions and preparing for battle.

"I think Kathleen will do a great job," said Mike Noel, general
manager of Kane County Water Conservancy District and a member of the
Kanab chapter of People for the USA, a group calling for multiple use
of public lands. "She has always been fair and will provide some
balance to public lands," he added. "And for Utah it's an added
benefit. I think she will be great for Utah."

"It is a victory for those who want to exploit public lands for
short-term greed," said Mike Reberg, spokesman for Southern Utah
Wilderness Alliance. "For those of us trying to protect Utah's
remaining wild places, we have some hard years ahead of us."

However, many interest groups praise her skill at finding
compromises. While working for the Utah Department of Natural
Resources, she created a $3 million fund to protect and recover
endangered species, she developed a management plan to balance the
uses of the Great Salt Lake, and she implemented mineral development
on state-owned lands.